St. Charles Borromeo Parish celebrates feast day

For the Catholic Herald

11/10/16

The FORUM crowd at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington dances to live music as they celebrate the parish’s feast day Nov. 4.

Parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington pray before the Blessed Sacrament as part of the 40 Hours of continuous devotion that marked the parish’s feast day Nov. 4. FR. DONALD PLANTY | ST. CHARLES BORROMEO CHURCH

Parishioners at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington
celebrated their patronal feast day with 40 hours of continuous adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament and a parish party.

The devotion began Nov. 2 with exposition of the Blessed
Sacrament and a meditation by Father Richard Dyer, parochial vicar. During the
next 40 hours, individuals, families and groups made their scheduled holy hours
of prayerful adoration, and others stopped by throughout the days and nights.

“I was moved by our parishioners’ devotion,” said Father Donald
Planty, pastor. “One of our young adults took Friday off from work so he could
spend all Thursday night in a vigil before the Most Blessed Sacrament.

“It brought the whole parish together as one before Jesus,” he
said. “Our Hispanic parishioners were especially generous in volunteering to
adore and to offer security during the night hours.”

The Forty Hours concluded Nov. 4, the feast of St. Charles
Borromeo, with a bilingual meditation by Father Planty and Benediction.

The celebration continued with a special session of the regular
parish Friday FORUM, which fosters a culture of encounter, including a happy
hour, dinner and a live performance by the swing band Dan Arnold and
Swing Theory. The parish gym was packed as people enjoyed
Hispanic and Italian food, and danced.